Too often, the headlines we read scream of “natural” disasters such as earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes. We scan the news quickly, reassuring ourselves that the calamities are far away from any Jewish community, and then we sigh in relief and move on. Is that correct?
No, says the Chofetz Chaim. In fact, Hashem sends these catastrophes as wake-up calls for us, His children. The message is to do teshuvah, and that message is not intended for some foreign nation in Asia. It’s for Klal Yisroel to take to heart.
We say by shachris – “ose malachav ruchos meshorsav aish lohet” – Says the Chofetz Chaim, in the past, if Hashem was upset with us, He sent neviim to arouse us to do teshuva. Then, after the era of the prophets was over, Hashem would send a bas kol to transmit His message . And in our generation, we are not zoche to receive any direct messages from Above. Instead, Hashem sends strong winds, hurricanes, tornados or big fires and we have to get the message that He’s talking to us to change our ways.
We say by davening in Ezras Avoseinu – “Ashrei ha’ish sheyishma l’mitzvosecha v’sorascha udevarcha yasim al libo” - “Fortunate is the man who heeds Your mitzvos and learns Your Torah and places Your words on his heart”. Which words of Hashem are we referring to which are not already included in Torah and mitzvos? Says Rav Schwab, the events that happen in a person’s life are messages from Hashem. Fortunate is the individual who takes these messages to heart and realizes that Hashem is actually talking to him! When hurricanes or tornados strike, even across the globe, those are messages of Hashem to us. That is the meaning of “udevarcha yasim al libo”.
We must take these messages seriously and use them as a motivation to do teshuvah, or chas v’shalom we might end up like Pharaoh. Yes, Pharaoh is the prime example of a person who did not take Hashem’s warnings seriously. So much so, that on the fateful night of makas bechoros, when his whole country was in an uproar, Pharaoh was actually sleeping!
The pasuk says that after makas bechoros, Klal Yisroel should eat matza and maror – "and you shall eat in haste; it is a pesach in honor of Hashem”. Rav Shlomo Eliyashev, the Baal Haleshem (sefer Derech Eitz Chaim chelek bais amud 122) says an amazing explanation as to why Klal Yisroel had to rush out of Mitzrayim without even preparing properly for their trip. It’s brought down from the Arizal that if klal Yisroel would’ve remained in Mitzrayim just a bit longer, they would’ve been submerged in the fiftieth level of tumah from which there is no escape. That’s why it was crucial for us to leave immediately, without delay. But the Baal Haleshem says the opposite! He writes that after makas bechoros, when it was time to leave Mitzrayim, all kochos hatuma were nullified. What the Arizal said (that if Klal Yisroel would’ve stayed longer they would’ve sunken into the fiftieth gate of impurity and they wouldn’t be able to come out ever), is referring to before makas bechoros. After makas bechoros, says the Baal Haleshem, there was only kedusha. Hashem revealed the light of kedusha to Klal Yisroel, as it says in the hagadah, “...ad shenigla aleihem Melech Malchei Hamilachim Hakadosh Baruch Hu” – Hashem revealed Himself to Klal Yisroel. The kedusha at that time was so great that if Klal Yisroel would’ve stayed there a little longer, then the sitra achra (the side of impurity) would be crushed and the yetzer hara would lose his power. Once that happens, there would be no more free will in the world and the world needs bechirah in order to exist. That’s why Klal Yisroel couldn’t remain any longer in Mitzrayim. And that’s why the Mitzriyim were pressuring us to leave already, because they were afraid that they would all die. We needed to quickly leave so that “ra” could continue to exist and by extension, free will.
“Bechira” means that a person has the power of choice to do or not to do. However, if a person sees Hashem with his senses, he loses his Emunah. He no longer believes – he knows. That’s not called Emunah; it’s called yediah. And if a person reaches such a status, he no longer has the privilege of free will. It’s literally impossible for his to choose to do bad, so there’s no more bechira for him. Klal Yisroel needs bechira in order to exist. We needed to accept the Torah with bechirah and to fulfill its mitzvos with bechirah. And so, we needed to leave Mitzrayim immediately, before that power of bechirah would be lost.
From the words of the Baal Haleshem we can see just how hardened Pharaoh’s heart was. Despite the tremendous gilui Shechinah which took place in Mitzrayim on the night of makas bechoros, Pharaoh was unmoved. The pasuk tells us 12:30 that Pharaoh got up in the night, he and all of his servants and all of Mitzrayim, and there was a great cry in Mitzrayim because there was no house without a dead person. Says Rashi, Pharaoh acted unlike the kings who get up at the 3rd hour of the day. What is Rashi coming to tell us? Who cares what time kings wake up?
Rav Moshe Shimon Weintraub (sefer Yedidos Moshe) gives a fascinating explanation. He asks, how was Pharaoh able to sleep that night? Moshe Rabeinu warned him that on this night every firstborn will die, and he already saw how all the makos that Moshe warned him about actually happened. Pharaoh was a bechor and he knew he’s about to die. How can he act as if nothing is going to happen? How are to understand his behavior?
This is what Rashi is telling us. Pharaoh wanted to wake up at the 3rd hour like all kings do! Rashi is telling us - look how much his heart was hardened! Although he was warned that he would die tonight, he didn’t change his agenda for the night! He went to sleep as he usually did and wanted to wake up when he usually did!
Now, when the maka began at midnight, there was a tzeaka gedola, a tremendous cry. Mitzrayim was in a state of emergency. Every single Egyptian house had a member who died. Everyone was up, screaming with grief. Everyone, that is, besides Pharaoh; he was deep into his sleep. His servants woke him up and instead of jumping out of bed, he was upset that they woke him up early! Everyone was able to see the tremendous revelation of Hashem, the gilui hashchina. As we mentioned previously, bechira was almost nullified because of the tremendous revelation of kedusha, yet Pharaoh remains unfazed. The fact that Pharaoh didn’t get moved by the gilui shechina was a miracle in itself. Hashem hardened his heart to such a miraculous degree that he couldn’t feel the gilui shechina.
The Torah is teaching us that there are times where Hashem closes the hearts of a person and holds him back from doing teshuva. Look at the Rambam hilchos teshuva perek 6 halacha 3 – the reason why Hashem took away the power of free will from Pharaoh is because he ignored Hashem too many times. Hashem sent Moshe Rabeinu time after time with warnings to let Klal Yisroel leave and he ignored these messages. That’s why Hashem removed his bechira and did not allow him to experience the gilui shechina that permeated Mitzrayim on that fateful night.
This is a tremendous lesson for us. Over the course of our lives, Hashem sends us many messages to change our ways. We have to listen to these messages and take them to heart. The next time you come across a scary headline, don’t brush it aside with the thought that it doesn’t affect you personally. It actually does. It’s a message for you to improve, and it must be taken seriously. Use your bechirah wisely. It’s a gift.
